All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters

by Joe Namath

The NFL icon who first brought show business to sports shares his life lessons on fame, fatherhood, and football.

Three days before the 1969 Super Bowl, Joe Namath promised the nation that he would lead the New York Jets to an 18-point underdog victory against the seemingly invincible Baltimore Colts. When the final whistle blew, that promise had been kept.

Namath was instantly heralded as a gridiron god, while his rugged good looks, progressive views on race, and boyish charm quickly transformed him - in an era of raucous rebellion, shifting social norms, and political upheaval - into both a bona fide celebrity and a symbol of the commercialization of pro sports. By 26, with a championship title under his belt, he was quite simply the most famous athlete alive.

Although his legacy has long been cemented in the history books, beneath the eccentric yet charismatic personality was a player plagued by injury and addiction, both sex and substance. When failing knees permanently derailed his career, he turned to Hollywood and endorsements, not to mention a tumultuous marriage and fleeting bouts of sobriety, to try and find purpose. Now 74, Namath is ready to open up, brilliantly using the four quarters of Super Bowl III as the narrative backbone to a life that was anything but charmed.

As much about football and fame as about addiction, fatherhood, and coming to terms with our own mortality, All the Way finally reveals the man behind the icon.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Football, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

232 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2019

About the author

Joseph William "Joe" Namath, also known as Broadway Joe or Joe Willie, is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. Namath was an American Football League icon and played for the New York Jets for most of his professional career but finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Namath retired after playing in 77 wins, 108 losses and 3 ties. In his career he threw 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions, and completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards.[2] During his thirteen years in the AFL and NFL he played for three division champions (the 1968 and 1969 AFL East Champion Jets and the 1977 NFC West Champion Rams), earned one league championship (1968 AFL Championship), and one world championship (Super Bowl III).

In 1999, he was ranked number 96 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was the only player on the list to have spent a majority of his career with the Jets.

He is known for brashly telling the media that he guaranteed that his team would upset Don Shula's NFL Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969, and then delivering on his promise.

Reviews

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just say upfront that Joe Namath is my all-time favorite athlete, who delivered on his promise to win Super Bowl III, and forever change the future of the AFL and a NY sports franchise. 18-point underdogs, and Broadway Joe "guaranteed" the NY Jets would beat the NFL's best, the Baltimore Colts. The book is a memoir, and told in a series of vignettes as Joe is watching and narrating a recording of Super Bowl III. He speaks openly about many of his trials and tribulations, including the pain of his injuries, his decision to join an upstart league because of personality and money, his boyhood growing up poor in Beaver Falls, PA, his devotion to the truth, his drive to be the best, his relationship with Bear Bryant, his respect for his teammates, his battle with the NFL over co-owning the Batchelors III bar, and his alcoholism, where he embarrassed himself on national television by trying to kiss broadcaster Suzy Kolber. A measure of his greatness is that he remembers his bad plays, not his good ones.

Is this a great book? Not really, but I am glad to have read it for personal insight into Joe Namath. He will always be THE MAN, at least in my eyes. It also needed more football photos.

[``Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Joe's you'll enjoy reading his autobiography. He kind of meanders through jumping from past to present and includes his memories of winning the Super Bowl and then back to growing up in Beaver Falls, PA, then to his time playing for Alabama, but it worked for me since I'm familiar with his life story. If you're not you might find this confusing.

Joe doesn't kiss and tell so there's nothing about his many girlfriends or his marriage which ended in divorce due to his drinking problem.

He's very candid about his alcoholism and the effect it had on his relationships. Joe has mellowed with age and his life revolves around his 2 daughters and grandchildren.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

When one adds up other books written about Joe Namath, whether about his football career, his famous off-the-field lifestyle or maybe even hearing about these from television, there isn’t a lot about him that hasn’t already been revealed. Nevertheless, Namath decided to tell his story in this memoir.

However, “memoir” might not be the best way to categorize this book as it really has no category. The book’s setting is Namath’s living room in which he is watching a replay of the game that made him famous to many Americans, Super Bowl III. Namath weaves tales of his childhood in western Pennsylvania and his college days at Alabama playing for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. (I particularly liked his story about his admission to having a drink to Bryant and his subsequent suspension off the team. It was good to illustrate both Namath’s honesty – a trait he often mentions throughout the book – and Bryant’s consistency in enforcing rules. There are other stories about his teammates and football career as well as other stories about his life in between memories of the game.

There really is no structure or order to these stories – they are simply written as Namath thinks of them. Some of them are pretty obscure and some of them are famous, such as when he guaranteed that the Jets would win the Super Bowl even though they were eighteen point underdogs. Another moment discussed is one for which he apologizes and states that was when he realized that he had a drinking problem. That was the infamous interview with ESPN football reporter Suzy Kolbert in which Namath wanted to kiss her when he was intoxicated.

While these anecdotes seem to have no structure, they are certainly entertaining and enjoyable to read. Fans who are old enough to remember Super Bowl III will particularly enjoy the snippets of the game shared by Namath. I say “snippets” because like Namath’s life stories, not every play is remembered by Namath, even when he is “watching” the game with the reader.

This is a book that fans of Namath will certainly enjoy, but in no way is it a comprehensive look at his life or even Super Bowl III. Mark Kreigle’s book on Namath is that complete picture and this one is a nice conversation Namath has with the reader over a day of watching football – even if that football game is 50 years old.

I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, definitely listen to the audiobook if you can. Namath narrates it and his smooth, charming delivery is a highlight. I definitely enjoyed his impressions of his coaches and his teammates. Namath is a good storyteller, so you may as well listen to him tell the stories. Second, it is about a football player’s life so if you don’t like football, this may not be for you. Don’t give the book a bad review because you don’t like the topic.

If you ARE a football fan, this memoir is a wonderful journey back to the early days of the AFL-NFL merger. I don’t mean that those days in the NFL’s history are wonderful because they actually seem kind of barbaric. Injuries were just something to be “shaken off” and there was zero protocol for potential head injuries.

(What was with Bear Bryant not wanting his players to have water at practice? Apparently we knew nothing about hydration in the 60s.)

Namath tells the story of his life as he weaves in the narration of the Jets Super Bowl win over the Colts in 1969. We get a firsthand account of what it was like to be on hand on the campus of the University of Alabama when George Wallace tried to defy the federal government and deny two African Americans the opportunity to enroll. We also learn what it was like to be young, handsome, wealthy, and famous in New York in the early 70s. Broadway Joe made the most of it!

Namath was quite honest about his alcoholism and his fears about CTE. He is obviously careful with his health these days — more so than when he was a player — but he had very little guidance on how to care for himself in his playing days. Players at both the college and pro level were simply part of the show. As Namath was told when he signed with the Jets, football was (and is) just show business.

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authors generally give much consideration to their opening sentence. I was struck by the fact that Joe Namath, a gifted and highly accomplished athlete chose “I finished voluntarily reading my first book when I was in my early twenties”. The stylish and extroverted Namath admits he struggles with any form of writing and his style is basic. However within the book he reveals some important life lessons.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reading copy of this book, for free, through Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for my honest review.

My four star rating is the average of the five stars I give the book for content, and the three stars I give the book for presentation. First off, the positive. Joe Namath is an interesting individual. He was not only a Hall of Fame football player, but he was a trailblazing celebrity. In his book, the former quarterback describes Super Bowl III in meticulous detail. It was the biggest game of his career, in which his underdog New York Jets of the AFL took on the heavily favored Baltimore Colts of the “establishment” NFL. Football fans, in general, will enjoy Namath’s memories and insights; however, this book a must-read for New York Jets’ fans who will relive the franchise’s first, and only, Super Bowl appearance/victory.

Interspersed, within Namath’s Super Bowl recollections, he tells his life story. He addresses, in varying degrees of detail, everything from his childhood to his college years playing for the legendary Bear Bryant, his pro career, his various injuries, his battle with alcoholism, and accusations of consorting with “unsavory people” which lead to his temporary retirement from the sport. Seemingly, no topic is off limits. He addresses these topics, and others, head-on and with honesty.

Now, for the negative. The book’s title, All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters, lead me to believe that Namath would be using the quarters of a football game as a metaphor, similar to the seasons, to tell his life story: 1st Quarter (Birth to age 25), 2nd Quarter (age 26 to 50), and so on. However, early on in the book, the title proved to be misleading. Namath states that “writing down my life, A-Z, from beginning to now, seemed to make the most sense”, but that the result was basically “a bad book report on myself”. Personally, I think I would have preferred a “bad book report” instead of the final product.

Namath’s life story is told as a somewhat confusing, stream of consciousness narrative. It jumps around from flashback to flashback with little rhyme or reason. At one point, present day (2019) Namath, is watching 1969 Namath in Super Bowl III, when he flashes back (or is he flashing forward?) to a 1973 injury sustained while water skiing. While discussing the doctor treating him, Namath then flashes back within the flashback to 1965 when the same doctor treated another injury. When the story resumes we return to 1969, or is it 2019, or is it still 1965? I often felt like I should be taking detailed notes to keep track of which decade was being discussed.

The “First Quarter” of the game/Namath’s life goes on for more than half the book. By contrast, the “Fourth Quarter” is covered in a mere 16 pages. Namath also occasionally repeats the same story more than once. Two co-authors are credited on the cover of the book. One would think that they could have worked with Namath to create a more streamlined and coherent narrative.

Overall, I found All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters to be an interesting and quick read. I only wish that it were written in a more traditional and appealing manner. Maybe I’m just too old-fashioned. Perhaps, at age 75, this is Joe Namath’s way of bucking the establishment one more time.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very quick read. I'm not a football fan but I like autobiographies. I found it interesting and worth the read.

[W. Whalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Than a Book about Football

Joe Namath has been a celebrity and football icon for years. Now at 75, his new memoir ALL THE WAY is a remarkable story. This book details Namath’s humble beginnings and how he took his Jet team to the Super Bowl and then explores the stories and details of his life after retirement.

I heard the audiobook version of this book and listened to it from the beginning until the end. As Namath will tell you, he is not perfect but has made his fair share of mistakes and failures—yet learned and grown from each one of them. I enjoyed the stories and recommend this audiobook.

W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books. Straight Talk From the Editor

[Ken Heard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Namath's "autobiography" jumps around like a Fran Tarkenton scramble when the offensive line breaks down. It focuses on the premise of Namath watching a taped replay of Super Bowl III and remembering some of the plays, flashing back to moments in his life.

But it's not a true autobiography. At times, it's hard to determine when Namath is talking about because he includes memories within memories. It jumped around in a stream of consciousness. It's similar at times to the awful bios by Bill Walton and Dr. J.

There were some interesting points that I had heard about in which he discusses, though: He quit the Jets for a month or so to continue owning a club, his relationship with Bear Bryant, his admission to the drinking problem. One of the more honest moments of the book is when he writes of his embarrassing moment on ABC's Monday Night Football when interviewed by Suzi Kober. Then, obviously drunk, Namath slurs that he wants to kiss Kober. In the book, Namath apologizes and said that was the moment he realized he had a real problem.

He also touches on the head injuries suffered by players. While watching the game, he could not remember certain plays. Granted, it was 50 years later, so memories can be fuzzy merely by time. He mentions his fear of concussion-related injuries and even writes of test treatments to determine if he had any signs of CTE. Fortunately, his tests showed he was okay.

This is a quick read for any sports fan, but it leaves a lot on the field in terms of his career. It's almost as if the reader is sitting with Namath while watching the game, sound turned off, and just listening to him recall the game and sudden memories that come to him.

[Lazycatfarm · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was all over the place! I couldn’t figure out if we were reading about the super bowl, college - what??? Also I couldn’t read very quickly because I was reading in his voice, with all the “,man”.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming memoir about a man who knows who is and where his place in history is. He (loosely) frames the narrative around Super Bowl III, which he understands as the event in his life that most people remember and care about that has happened in his life. But while he has our attention, he also zigs and zags through his memory, from copious childhood memories to rarer post-career nuggets, to give a broader understanding of him than just his "Broadway Joe" image (although he doesn't shy away from that). Namath knows what we're here for, and is more than happy to give his perspective on things. I would recommend to any fan of pro football history.

[Marlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smooth and enjoyable read with anecdotes and stories wrapped around his telling of Super Bowl III.
This is not an in-depth, detailed bio but an overview of recollections. As a Namath fan, it was great.

[James McManis]

It seems counterproductive to give a rating out of five in response to an autobiography. What would be the parameters? Did this person accurately represent their life to the best of their perception, so they get five stars? Do they lose a star for misrepresenting themselves? I don't feel like this is a valuable exercise for this genre.

What I will say is that I was captivated by a couple different narratives that Joe Namath weaves into his memoir, which uses Super Bowl III as the anchor for passing over and under the different currents of his life. He chronicles his upbringing as a kid in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, his experience in college playing for the University of Alabama, and a couple of tales from his time as a Jet.

I was initially drawn to this book because Joe Namath is so far removed from my era of football fandom, and from what I can remember and conjure up from my personal knowledge of the NFL. He was before my time, but it would seem that in many ways he was ahead of his. He writes with the character of a perfect gentlemen, never going into crass details about parties he attended or women with whom he was intimate. He cops to his public sins, particularly his infamous interview with Suzy Kolber which made him realize that he had hit rock bottom with his drinking problem. He presents these less-than-proud moments of his own life with a sincere recognition of personal growth, and comes off for the better as a result. He didn't need to mention ANY of his missteps, but the fact that he chooses to address them is indicative of a class of character not always found in the moral fiber of others as famous as he.

More interesting still were his accounts of his drinking, and his assessment that he drank to medicate the physical toil of professional football. For a sport that has sustained as much public scrutiny and speculation as football has for the past several years, the response from players is rarely given as much focus as it should. And frankly, I struggle to think of a superstar as important to the NFL, with an equitable legacy of Joe Namath's who has come forward and suggested that perhaps the sport they grew up with, the game they loved the most, might have been the worst thing they could have done for their long term health. He doesn't skewer the sport entirely, but his acknowledgement of his sensory therapy, the effect that post-game cocktails to relieve his pain had on his long-term health, and the concern it caused for his future relationship with his family is a profound admission for someone so enshrined within the league.

Joe Namath was always a leader, and I'm incredibly curious to see if other players will join him and come forward with their own stories of pain and loss surrounding the game, and how that factors in to the equation of playing and watching a sport we all love dearly. It's an acknowledgement, if not an indictment, and how the relationship of both continue to function within the modern NFL will shape the future of the league for years to come.

Will all of this in mind, I just wanted to thank Joe Namath for his honesty. Writing about yourself is the hardest task for a writer to accomplish. It's far easier to read about someone else. Thanks for making it easy for me, Joe.

[Keith Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the conversational style of wrong used by the author. The manner in which the book is interwoven with stories of family, growing up, high school, college, pro football and life in general, made this an easy read and reveals what clearly matters to him. I especially connect because I am a fan of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and was a Jets fan from way back, when they were the New York Titans. The author's mention of Babe Parilli took me back to a cardboard box football game and Babe Parilli being the quarterback at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. And, congratulations, Joe Willie, on taking charge of your addiction! With God's help, ALL things are possible! God's best for you and yours in the days ahead. Don't look to the stars; look to the ONE who made them...

I enjoyed the conversational style of writing used by the . The manner in which the book is interwoven with stories of family, growing up, high school, college, pro football and life in general, made an easy read and clearly reveals what matters to him. I especially connect because I am a fan of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and was a Jets fan from way back, when they were the New York Titans. The author's mention of Babe Parilli took me back to a cardboard box football game and Babe Parilli being the quarterback at that time. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. And, congratulations, Joe Willie, on taking charge of your addiction! With God's help, ALL things are possible! God's best for you and yours in the days ahead. Don't look to the stars; look to the ONE who made them...

[John Pehle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to feed a little nostalgia and, for that purpose, it was pretty good. As a memoir, it relied too much on a single event (Super Bowl III) to give it a structure from which to jump to the other anecdotes. The writing felt more like a transcript of a conversation but that was okay-the voice was authentic. In the end, there were no great revelations but it scratched an itch. Way to go, Broadway Joe.

[Patrick Duran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be a good read, even though the narrative style jumps around. Joe is watching a video tape of the Superbowl III game which the Jets won, narrating the plays for his book, and interspersing stories of his life throughout. While he mentions interactions with celebrities such as Elvis Presley (very nice guy) and Johnny Carson (comes across as a jerk), I would have liked more details about his post-football career. I guess for that I will have to read another biography of his.

[Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book on an all time favorite football player that was one of the best in his day. From his beginning in Beaver Falls to the big Univ. of Alabama he loved football Coach Bear Bryant was probably the biggest influence on his life and he learned a lot from him. His career in professional football had lots of ups and downs but he always came through it all. Everyone will remember Broadway Joe.

[Trish Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought the book would be more about Broadway Joe then actual football game details. It jumped around so much that it was confusing. But I do love Broadway Joe 😎❤️.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars) (Audiobook) The latest memoir from Joe Namath, this book is organized like a football game. In particular, the game in question is the game that immortalized the QB with the shaggy hair, slumped shoulders, bad knees, a reputation as a swingin' bachelor and the confidence to make the most famous guarantee in sports history (Super Bowl III for those who hadn't already picked up on this). Namath tells this book from the perspective of watching a replay of Super Bowl III and what thoughts come to his head while watching the game. It wanders a bit, but that is to be expected. He will think of action from the game, offering insights that he hadn't thought about, or recalled, in 50 years, or he will hearken back to his college days playing for Bear Bryant at Alabama (hard to believe that Bear Bryant was Namath's college coach...as well as Ken Stabler...Bart Starr, more believable). Namath will take the reader back to his youth in Pennsylvania, offering insights into his loving, if difficult, childhood. He discusses poverty, parental divorce, racism, adapting to life in the changing 1960s.

It jumps around, but some of the insight are very engaging. He brings up more recent events, like his infamous scene with Suzy Koltver on the sideline of an NFL game while being very drunk (got him sober afterwards). He does not discuss more of his recent family situation, only offering a few tidbits about his first marriage and his children and grandchildren. Namath is candid with the reader, giving voice to many things, much like he did as a player.

Bonus points for narrating his own work. A fun read for any football fan, and especially for those who admired Namath when he QB'd the Jets.

[Pat Gillespie · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a bad read. like you're sitting there having a conversation. I did like that there was a lot of football history and strategy.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but not a typical biography at all - jumped around a fair bit but mainly breaks down the “guarantee” Super Bowl. Told in Joe’s voice & would have been fun to listen to him narrate it as an audiobook!

[Donny Aiken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and decent . Some good insights into his famous game. QBs used to get hit soooo much more and call their own plays its a totally different position than today .

[Cindy Feigert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't read nonfiction in the summer but when I saw this book on the library shelf I couldn't resist. Joe Namath was my first football hero. He is the reason I am still an NFL fan today. I remember watching Super Bowl III on my grandmother's black & white tv. That super bowl is the center of this memoir. Joe is watching that game while is making notes for this book. He explains how the Jets got to that game and how his life experiences got him there. As I was reading I could hear Joe's voice telling this story. That is what made this a good read for me! Thanks Joe!

[Pat Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, interesting autobiography told by reviewing Super Bowl III and talking about his life. Colorful and thoughtful. I liked the book.

[Paul Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, quick read that essentially is the story of Super Bowl III (where the Jets of the AFL shocked the might Colts of the NFL) that's interleaved w/a Namath bio. Gives you a peek into a simpler time (Namath gets the big contract from the Jets w/o a physical even though his knee was known to have been severely injured) and a truly 'simple' guy. Super athlete limited by injury but a simple young guy from Western PA happy to live the good life in party-time NYC.

[Gene Bernacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time fan of Joe Namath I looked forward to reading this book. I enjoyed it but felt it was a very tame account of his life. I guess I expected more of a full scale biography. I did enjoy the refreshing memory of that Super Bowl III win by the Jets that he “guaranteed “. I loved the AFL back then as I was happy to see them beat the NFL Baltimore Colts. I saw Joe Namath play several times and he truly was an amazing quarterback.

[Nan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely delightful memoir of a whole life. No, not an autobiography, but a true memoir, but it did cover his whole life. I loved the way Namath used the quarters of SuperBowl III to launch each section into different areas and memories of his life. I also thought it particularly notable that he credited so many people – citing specific incidents - with his success. He did not gloss over his own failings, but owned up to each one, telling what he learned from that mistake.

The past couple of years I’ve read a lot of memoirs/autobiographies. Most of them were simply ego trips. This was not the case here.

In reading other reviews several people have noted that he jumped around in his memories and/or wrote/spoke in a stream of consciousness making it difficult to stay on track. Personally, I appreciated that because it showed how indebted he felt to various mentors and influences in his life.

I received this ebook as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it heartily.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Joe Namath.

[Bill reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Green Bay Packer fan of 52 years, I have had the good fortune of watching Super Bowl victories led by Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers. My life long New York residency also provided me the opportunity to watch Joe Namath on a regular basis and included his “guaranteed” victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in 1969. Namath’s story alternates from his blue collar Pennsylvania upbringing and the big game. His best friend from the age of four was a black kid who lived across the street. The University of Alabama was another world which shocked the eighteen year-old. The phrase culture shock would be an understatement. Governor George Wallace was forced by the presidents via federal troops to allow the first black students to enroll at the school. Joe’s Hungarian Catholic parents raised him without prejudice. He subsequently had reservations about his choice of the southern segregated school. The legendary coach, Bear Bryant, was the reason for choosing the U. of A. The upstart AFL competed with the established NFL for star players and Namath signed with the NY Jets for a then record $427,000 in 1965. It was the same year of the first of Joe’s five knee surgeries. Heavy drinking helped to ease the pain and Joe finally quit drinking twenty years ago after an embarrassing incident with a female reporter at a Jet game. For the book Joe watched a tape of Super Bowl III for the first time in fifty years. I was eleven years-old in 1969 and so my memory of the game is vague. Joe gives a clear cut analysis with some funny asides. Fellow football fans will enjoy this book. P.S. Matt Snell and the Jets defense deserved the MVP.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a Namath fan and this book doesn't change my mind. I'd certainly have dinner with him, as long as he told stories about his life.